Department of Psychology News

February 12 marks the 207th birthday of Charles Darwin, the biologist who shaped the way scientists study life on Earth. Students will honor his birthday with Darwin Day, a paleontology-themed celebration beginning Tuesday, February 9.

Mark Hector, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Psychology, passed away, on January 4. He was 74. He taught counseling and psychology at UT from 1973 until his retirement in 2015. Prior to UT, Hector taught math in Navrongo, Ghana, with the Peace Corps and Teachers for West Africa.

The International Business Times featured Patrick Grzanka’s recent study, which suggests that “born this way” beliefs may not be the key to reducing homophobia. Read the story online. Grzanka, an assistant professor of psychology, co-authored the study with Joe Miles, also an assistant professor of psychology.

In recent years, the argument that sexual orientation is innate has become a principal component of the advocacy for the rights of sexual minorities. That belief may not be the most effective way to promote more positive attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, according to new research from UT.

Research on the evolution and function of play at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis at UT has culminated in a special issue of the journal Adaptive Behavior. The collection heavily features the research of Gordon Burghardt, who works on many aspects of animal behavior, play behavior, ethical treatment of animals, and zoo animal welfare.

The College of Arts and Sciences celebrated outstanding faculty with awards in diversity leadership, advising, teaching, research, academic outreach, and service on December 1 at the annual Faculty Awards Ceremony held at the Holiday Inn-Downtown.

The Huffington Post and Psychology Today highlighted Gordon Burghardt‘s research on animal behavior in a story examining how and why dogs play. Burghardt, a UT Alumni Distinguished Service Professor, holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Black students around US are speaking out over casual, everyday insensitivities and racism toward people of color that has been described as “microaggression.” The Associated Press and numerous national media outlets featured Jioni Lewis, assistant professor of psychology, in a story about this topic.